Edinburgh’s first lesbian bar planned for the city centre

Developers hope the new bar will provide a safe space for queer women living in the Capital to meet.

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Spearheading this project is Emily Frood who moved to the Capital five-years-ago from Adelaide in Australia. She was disappointed with the lack of active lesbian community in the city.

Spotting the gap in the market, the 22-year-old decided to drop out of her degree at Queen Margaret University and set up the city's first bar for queer women.

Emily moved to the Capital five-years-ago from Adelaide.

Planned for the heart of the New Town, the bar will be styled like a New York jazz bar including a stage which poetry and music can be performed on.

The bar will also offer an exhibition space, aiming to celebrate queer artists in Edinburgh.

“Edinburgh is such a hub of culture and queer women have given a lot to this,” she said. “ I’ve been lucky enough to see it first hand and it’s helped me grow a lot.”

Despite Emily’s positive experience with the city's LGBT+ community, she said there is a distinct lack of representation afforded to queer women.

Emily Frood plans to open Edinburgh's first lesbian bar.

“I can’t tell you much about Edinburgh’s lesbian community, which is part of the problem,” said Emily.

“The lack of celebration of queen women is very disappointing and I want to uplift this community by creating a hub for support in Edinburgh. “

“I do not want to detach myself from the LGBT+ community as a whole but there is an important distinction between being LGBT+ and being a queer woman.”

Emily, who currently works in a bar on Frederick Street, said she will do everything in her power to make the bar as inclusive as possible. She plans to keep prices low and enforce a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech.

As a non-binary trans lesbian, Emily is determined to make sure all women feel comfortable in her pub.

“I want to make sure everyone can get in and have a good time,” she said. “It will be a space where we can all collectively exist together.”

Emily went on t say that she is fully prepared for the challenge of running the bar and said: “I have always dreamed big.”

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